Electrolytic cell



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ELECTROLYTIC CELL Filed Jan. 4. 1923 F. V. D. CRUSER ET AL April 29 1924.

SLATE April 29 1924. 1,492,122

F. v. D. cRUsER ET AL ELECTROLYTIC CELL Filed Janfll, 192s 2 shee'ps-sheet 2 atented Apr. 29, 1924.

UNITED STATES FREDERICK V. D. CRUSER AND CARL C.

HAFERKAMP, OF OSWEGO, NEW YORK, AS-

SIGNORS T0 THE DIAMOND HATCH COMPANY, CF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORA- r TION 0F ILLINOIS.

ELECTROLYTIC CELL.

Application led January To all wlwm t may concern.'

Be it known that we, FREDERICK V. D. CRUSER, a citizen of the United States, and CARL C. HAFERKAMP, a citizen of Germany, both residents of the city of Oswego, in the county of Oswego and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrolytie Cells, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of electrolytic cells wherein the electrolyte is caused to flow directly between and in 'contact with spaced electrodes, and more especially to cells of the type wherein carbon anodes and base metal cathodes are employed. i

The objects of our invention are to provide an electrolytic cell having a large voluminal capacity for electrolyte, and being of such construction that not only is the rapid heating of the contents' of the cell precluded but the cooling thereof can be easily eHected and controlled as the electrolytic process progresses; to provide a cell having a plurality of electrolytic chambers so constructed and arranged that the maximum effective area of the respective electrodes therein is attained; to provide a unitary integral cathode structure havin the merits of simplicity, cheapness an durability, and to provide a construction which enables the eilicient use of carbon anodes and permits and facilitates their ready assembly, removal or replacement, as occasion may require.

With these objects in view our invention comprises, in an electrolytic cell, novel features of construction and combinations of parts which, in a preferred form, will be hereinafter described, and the sco of the invention then be defined inthe c aims.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a plan of an electrolytic cell embodying the principle of our invention.

Fig; 2 is a transverse vertical section of the cell, on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontal sections thereof, on the lines 3-3 and 4--4, respectively, of Fig. 2.

The cell herein illustrated comprises a rectan lar vessel of cast iron having internal y arranged wallsV 5 spaced from the outer walls 6 and constituting therewith a plurality of relatively narrow electrolytic chambers 7 in angular relation to eachl other. The walls 5 are supported above the 4, 1928. Serial No. 610,550.

bottom 8 of the vessel by legs 9 to aord communication between* the electrolytic chambers and the oapacious internal chamber 10 encased by the walls 5; the upper ends of said walls bein somewhat below the to of the vessel. are o set or expanded at their u per ends. as at 11, and centrally of the c mber 10 is a hollow upri ht body 12, which is preferably connecte to the inner walls 5 by supporting ribs 13. This body extends through and slightly below the bottom of the vessel and is divided interiorly into two vert-ical passages 14, 15 by means of a partition 16 that terminates short of the top of the body.

The structure above described is preferably an integral casting, whereof the inner and outer walls constitute a negative electrode. One of the outer walls 1s provided with a suitable connection 17 for the negative terminal; another wall is provided adjacent its upper end with an outlet 18 having a plug 19, and a third wall is provided adjacent its lower end with an outlet 20 having a suitable plug 21. The upper outlet permits the ready overflow of the electrolyte from the interior of the vessel, which electrolyte enters the cell through a suitable Siphon tube as usual; and the lower outlet facilitates the flushing of the vessel as occasion may require. The electrolyte thus rises within the series of chambers including thelarger chamber 10, and Yalso submerges the hollow body 12 within the latter chamber.

One of the depending walls of the body 12 has an inlet 22 to the vvertical passage 14, and the other passage 15 containes a vertical stand pipe 23 which opens though an orifice in the base of the body and rises to a plane above the top of the partition. Hence water or other cooling agent introduced by way of the inlet 22 rises within the passage 14 and overows at the top of the partition into the passage 15 until the latter is lled, thence rising until it overflows and escapes by way of the pipe 23. This pipe permits vthe confined air as well as the water to escape from the passages, thus allowing the interior of the body to be filled with circulating water which is effective to cool the walls of the body and absorb the excess heat from the surrounding electrolyte.

Within the respective electrolytic chamhe outer walls 6v bers 7, depend lpsositive electrode members comprising bloc of carbon 24', which terminate above the bottom of the cell and are spaced from the cathodic walls 5, 6 by means .of suitably-disposed insulators 25, preferably of hard rubber. The upper ends ofl the carbon blocks are detachably secured to a generally rectangular supporting frame 26, of metal, preferably by bolts 27 passing through metal plates 28 along the outer sides of the respective blocks, which plates afford substantial bearing members that rest upon supporting pieces 29, preferably vof slate, borne by narrow strips of slate 30 resting upon slate slabs 30 seated in the oset portions of the vessel. The open upper end of the cell is closed by means of a cover 3l of non-conducting material, as slate, which cover is embraced by the carbon blocks and is supported on hard rubber studs 32 projecting from the inner sides of the blocks, whereby when the said blocks and their frame'are lifted from the vessel, the cover is withdrawn therewith.

The frame 26 may be a solid body, but for the sake of lightness and cheapness we prefer to make it of skeleton or spider-like form as shown; This frame is provided with a suitably-disposed connection 33 for the positive terminal.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a cell embodying our 1nvention has capacity for a large volume of electrolyte, the temperature whereof can be easily eected and controlled, thereby preventing the too rapid heatin of the contents of the cell during the electro ytic operation, with the result that the liability of destruction of the electrodes by excess heat is materially reduced. It will also be seen that the carbon anode members are rigidly supported in close relation to the adjacent cathode surfaces in such a manner as to avail of the maximum effective area of the electrodes, and that a cell is provided having the further @merits of simplicity, cheapness and durability, to ether with ease of assembly, removal or rep acement of the carbon blocks and their associated parts.

It is obvious that the size and capacity of the cell may be increased Within wide limits, in which case the frame-26 can be correspondingly enlarged, or constructed in sections, and a plurality of carbon blocks can be detachably supported thereby in a manner to depend, edge to edge, within each of the electrolytic chambers. a

Our invention is not limited t the details of construction herein disclosed, as the-same may be modified within the fprinciple of the invention and the scope o the appended claims.

1. In an electrolytic cell, a metal vessel having a large chamber ,therein for electrolyte, the walls of the said chamber being in s aced relation to the adjacent outer walls of tie vessel to provide a plurality of relatively narrow electrolytic chambers in angular relation to each other, said chambers having communication with each other and with the interior of the first-named chamber and all said walls being electrically connected with the bottom of the vessel and constituting an electrode of one polarity, in combination with a plurality of electrode members of opposite polarity to the said electrode, and means for supporting the said electrode members within, and in spaced relation to the walls of the said electrolytic chambers.

2. In an electrolytic cell, a metal vessel having a large chamber therein for electrolyte, the walls of the said chamber being in spaced relation to the adjacent outer walls of the tank to provide a plurality of relatively narrow electrolytic chambers in angular relation to each other, said chambers having communication with each other and with the interior of the first-named chamber and all said walls being electrically 'connected with the bottom of the vessel and constituting an electrode of one polarity, and said vessel also having therein a hollow body for the passage of a circulating cooling medium, in combination with a plurality of electrode members of opposite polarity to the said electrode, and means for supporting the said electrode members within, and in spaced relation to the walls of the said electrolytic chambers.

3. In an electrolytic cell, a metal structure comprising outer walls, a bottom therefor, and inner walls supported in spaced relation to the outer walls to provide a plurality of electrolytic chambers in angular relation to each other, said inner walls being electrically connected with the bottom and constructed to afford communication between the said chambers and the space encompassed by the inner walls, the inner and outer walls forming an electrode of one polarity, in combination with a plurality of electrode members of opposite polarity to the said electrode, and means for supporting theV said electrode members within, and in spaced relation to the walls of the electrolytic chambers.

4. In an electrolytic cell, a' metal structure comprising outer walls, a bottom therefor, and inner walls supported in spaced relation to the outer walls to provide a lurality of-electrolytic chambers in anguar relation to each other, said inner walls being electrically connected with the bottom and constructed to alord communication b etween the said chambers and the space encompassed by the inner walls, the inner and outer walls forming an electrode of one polarity, and said structure comprising also an upstanding inner hollow body rising from the bottom and adapted to receive a circulating cooling medium, in combination with a plurality of electrode members of opposite polarity to the said electrode, and means for supporting the said electrode members within, and in spaced relation to the walls of the electrolytic chambers.

5. In an electrolytic cell, a unitary metal structure forming an electrode of one polarity, and comprising an outer body, a central body and an intermediate body, said outer body having side walls and a bottom, said central body having a closed chamber rising from the bottom and adapted to receive a cooling medium, and said intermediate body having side walls spaced from the adjacent Walls of the outer body and from the bottom of the latter.

6. An electrolytic cell having an upstanding hollow body therein vertically partitioned to provide vertical passages communieating at their upper ends, an inlet for a cooling agent at the lower end of one of said passages, and an outlet from the other passage comprising a stand pipe extendin from the bottom of said body to a leve j above the partition.

`7. In an electrolytic cell, a unitarymetal structure"v comprising an outer body, ag

central body and an intermediate body, said v n trolytic outer body having sidewalls and a bottom,. f`

said intermediate body having lside walls spaced from the adjacent walls of the outer body and spaced yabove the bottom but electrically connected therewith, said inner and side Walls constituting an electrode of one polarity, and said central chamber comprising a hollow body rising from the bottom and vertically-partitioned to provide vertical passages communicating at their upper ends, said passages having respectively an inlet and an outlet for a cooling medium.

8. In an electrolytic cell, a metal vessel having therein an enlarged chamber for electrolyte, the walls of the said chamber being in spaced relation to the adjacent outer walls of the vessel to provide a plurality of relatively narrow electrolytic chambers in angular relation to each other, said chambers having communication with each other and with the first-named chamber and all said; walls being electrically connected with the bottom of the vessel and constituting an electrode of one polarity, in combination with a plurality of electrode members of opposite polarity to the said electrode, a frame overlying the vessel, and means for .detachably securing the upper ends of the sfsaid 'electrode members to the frame and thereby vsupporting them within, and in spaced relation to the walls of the said elecchambers.

FREDERICK V. D. CRUSER.

i CARL C. HAFERKAMP. 

